Big Wow Comicfest 2012 pics and highlights

So I went to the Big Wow Comicfest on Saturday and had a good time and took picutres of some of the things I saw as well as some of the people I met. I didn't take pictures of everything, but I am including commentary to give y'all a general idea.

Before having lunch, I got Swamp Thing co-creator Bernie Wrightson to sign some of my comics.

I didn't get to talk to him for a long time since there were a few people behind me in the line, but I'm glad I was able to have him sign some of my comics because I didn't know when that opportunity would present itself again.

When the opportunity presented itself, I took a picture of the Bay Area Ghostbusters' Jeep, which I thought was really cool. There's also a poster/image of Viggo in the background.

I also thought it was kinda cool how at the same booth, the Necronomicon from Army of Darkness and Jason's hockey mask were on display. I guess the idea behind that was that the Ghostbusters had examination reports on both items in regards to paranormal activity.

While walking around, I came across a Leonardo Micro Series comic. The guy that I guess was the book's artist or something wasn't around when I walked by, so I didn't get a chance to ask him about it.



There was another guy, though, that walked by when he noticed I intrigued by the book and told me something about pre-ordering it for $20.00 from what I remember, but I thought that was kinda steep, so maybe I'll order it from the site on the cover since the fact that it's an exclusive interests me. I haven't read any of the current Micro Series comics because I haven't been looking hard enough to see if my local shop carries them, but if anyone has any information about the comics, please let me know.

Before leaving, I had the chance to talk to Ron Lim and check out some of his artwork.

He didn't talk a lot when I came by since he was working a Thanos sketch, but he seemed really nice nonetheless. I told him that I was familiar with his work on X-Men 2099 and Spider-Man Unlimited and he said it's been about 15 years since he worked on those titles, which I told him was when I started to get into comics. With that in mind, I told him I never really lost interest in '90s Marvel stuff since I still collect and read it to this day. I told that I'd check out some more of his stuff because he was he quite active in the '90s. I hope to see him next year and perhaps talk with him again.

Overall, I enjoyed the convention and was glad that I didn't let the day go to waste. I even got some good deals on comics and bought a print from an artist named Corey Bass that I'm thinking about hanging up in my room. Oh, and I also won Spider-Man paddle ball by answering a trivia question. Basically there were these two guys in the panel room that I walked into to see a panel. They still had some prizes to give away and they encouraged the audience's participation. I spoke up when they asked what C.H.U.D. stood for since I had seen the movie and one of them handed me my prize. They seemed really enthusiastic when giving out prizes and I'd say the fact that they decided to do some trivia before the Underground Comics panel started helped to get everyone in the mood for it.

I think that's it for now. Hope y'all have enjoyed reading this.

StashMyComics.com

So I was curious if there was an online comic collector databse that didn't requre any additional software to download and came across StashMyComics.com. I like it because it's easy to use as well as navigate. Plus, it doesn't take long to update my collection nd it gives me a reason to go through my boxes of comics again and possibly find stuff I didn't know I had. I highly recommend it, especially if you're looking to keep track of your collection.

Check it out: http://www.stashmycomics.com/

Eurydice redesign

Check it: http://reivax.deviantart.com/art/Eurydice-redesign-284593432

Reflecting on the Psalms: Concluding thoughts

Reading and reflecting on the Psalms was a great experience for me in terms of absorbing talking about God's Word. I got a lot of it and put a lot into and I'd that God helped me out both ways, so I thank Him for that. I didn't understand every verse, but I tried to comment on most of 'em as best I could. I am still open to corrections in case an interpretation needs to be corrected. Remember to correct me respectfully, though.

When I studied Martin Luther a few months ago, one of the things I read was his Preface to the Psalms. I can't seem to find an exact quote, but I remember reading a statement of his that said something along the lines of Psalms is a book that covers all the basic Christian beliefs. I agree with him because reading the messianic Psalms, for example, I already had an idea of Christ was because of reading the New Testament. However, a chapter Psalm 22 covers the basic belief that Christ was (to be) crucified since it is prophetic in nature. I figure if I started out reading Psalms and no other book before that, I would've had a good understanding of Christianity and the prophecies concerning Christ. There are passages in Psalms that speak of the Lord as one's salvation. I already knew He was my salvation before reading and reflecting on the passages concerning that aspect of Him since I had exposed myself to other passages that illustrate that He can be one's salvation, but I do feel that the Lord as one's salvation is another basic belief in Christianity since He has saved and will continue to save sinners. Since I'm not gonna list every basic Christian belief which is described in Psalms, I will end this paragraph a third one: God's omniscience and omnipresence, which are both talked about in Psalm 139. I feel that those are basic Christian beliefs because if God wasn't omniscient and omnipresent, He wouldn't be the Christian God. In fact, He'd probably some other kind of god since being omniscient and omnipresent are part of His attributes.

I thank those that have taken time to have read the scriptures and my reactions to the Pslams and I pray that the Lord will continue to use His Word to anyone who may come across my blog needing words of comfort or is just curious about the Word. Hey, if I plant some seeds, that's cool and I figure God can and will (continue to) use His Word as He pleases. I probably will blog on scripture and apologetics-related subjects in the future, which should be fun. I'll also go back to talking about life and stuff and maybe review some stuff and pretty whatever else is on my mind for more a variety-focused direction.

Reflecting on the Psalms: Chapter 150

Psalm 150

¹Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
 
²Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
 
³Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
 
⁴Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
 
⁵Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

⁶Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Chapter 150

I like Matthew Henry's insight on the first few verses, "We are here stirred up to praise God. Praise God for his sanctuary, and the privileges we enjoy by having it among us; praise him because of his power and glory in the firmament." I am reminded of times in church when the Holy Spirit has worked in the service and stirred up His people. I've talked about those before, so there's really no need to go into detail about that. I do praise Him for His mighty acts and for His greatness (v. 2), mostly in my private time with Him. I don't believe I need to be around others to get stirred up to praise God -- praising Him in my own time in the past has stirred me up, I guess as a result of getting choked up when praising Him. There has been a time or two when I praised Him aloud -- or out loud? -- in the past there was a time or two when I praised Him for His mighty acts and for His greatness, which is what I've been describing. In regards to verses 3-5, I talked about praising God with instruments when I reflected on chapter 149. I think, though, that instruments are not reuqired to praise Him and that praising Him for whatever is more intimate without instruments. I have breath and I praise Him for all the good things He does and I figure every one of His people do(es) remember to praise in the good and bad times. I like Henry's insight in regards to the book's ending, "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Such is the very suitable end of a book inspired by the Spirit of God, written for the work of praise; a book which has supplied the songs of the church for more than three thousand years; a book which is quoted more frequently than any other by Christ and his apostles; a book which presents the loftiest ideas of God and his government, which is fitted to every state of human life, which sets forth every state of religious experience, and which bears simple and clear marks of its Divine origin." I don't have much to add to that, but I will do a conclusion to the Psalms for my next entry.

                                                Source used:

Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 150". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=150>.

Reflecting on the Psalms: Chapter 149

Psalm 149

¹Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
 
²Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
 
³Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
 
⁴For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
 
⁵Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
 
⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
 
⁷To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
 
⁸To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Chapter 149

For clarity, here's Matthew Henry's insight on the first few verses: "New mercies continually demand new songs of praise, upon earth and in heaven. And the children of Zion have not only to bless the God who made them, but to rejoice in him, as having created them in Christ Jesus unto good works, and formed them saints as well as men." I don't have a lot to say about that, but I know that in the past, I have praised and continue to praise Him for all the good things He has done in my life -- such as freeing me from my darkest moment and helping me out in my math class. I sung a new song to Him by praising Him for helping me out, which would also count as rejoicing and being joyful in Him (v. 2). I don't really use instruments to praise the Lord (v. 3), but I know that when I'm church on a Sunday, there are some that do as part of the worship. I guess, though, that that verse reminds me just to praise God just for being God and being good, which I can do with or without others. Since God takes pleasure in me (v. 4), I give back to Him by rejoicing in Him. I believe that some of the things I do to illustrate that I rejoice (or take joy in Him) include following His plan for my life, reading and obeying His Word, and praising Him. I don't really have to go into detail about those, but I'm glad that I can praise and worship Him in more than one way. I'm not sure what I'd say about verse 5 except that I rejoice in the glory (or honor) of the fact that He takes pleasure in me. For clarity, here's Matthew Henry's insight on verses 6-9: "Some of God's servants of old were appointed to execute vengeance according to his word. They did not do it from personal revenge or earthly politics, but in obedience to God's command. And the honour intended for all the saints of God, consists in their triumphs over the enemies of their salvation." So basically I'm not gonna kill someone for vengeance reasons and say that God told me to do it. However, I did face a spiritual during my darkest moment and trust in God's Word was what helped me to triumph. In terms of verse 6, I am reminded of Hebrews 4:12, which says, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Taking both verses into account, I just continued to trust in God during my darkest moment -- which I see as form as praise to Him since I wasn't being arrogant by trusting in myself. Trusting in Him was what helped to puch through my drakest moment since I knew He was gonna eventually deliver me. Verse 9 is interesting because by trusting in God, I knew that He would take care of the enemy and have vegenace upon him (V. 7) and He did. That's what the verse means to me anyway. And eventually, when the time for the enemy's demise comes, I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason of includes the fact that enemy tried to influence and mislead God's people. The part that says "the judgement written" is an allusion to Numbers 24:17-24, which I'll include for the sake of context...


¹⁷I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
 
¹⁸And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
 
¹⁹Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
 
²⁰And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
 
²¹And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.
 
²²Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
 
²³And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!

²⁴And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.

I'm gonna let the passage speak for itself, but I thought the parallel was interesting. I figure God has a judgement in mind for those who opporess His people and will carry out the judgment(s) as He sees fit.

                                                   Source used:

Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 149". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=149>. 

Reflecting on the Psalms: Chapter 148

Psalm 148

¹Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
 
²Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
 
³Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
 
⁴Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
 
⁵Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
 
⁶He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
 
⁷Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
 
⁸Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
 
⁹Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
 
¹⁰Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
 
¹¹Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
 
¹²Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
 
¹³Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

¹⁴He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

Chapter 148

I like Matthew Henry's insight on the first few verses: "We, in this dark and sinful world, know little of the heavenly world of light. But we know that there is above us a world of blessed angels. They are always praising God, therefore the psalmist shows his desire that God may be praised in the best manner; also we show that we have communion with spirits above, who are still praising him." I don't have a lot to say about that, but what the first three verses mean to me is that I shouldn't let this dark world keep me from praising Him. I'd say that when I praise Him, I'm not giving into sin and I'm doing the right thing. Also, I can praise and worship Him in many ways, which will result in Him blessing me. I don't glorify Him just to be blessed, though. In verse 4, I'd say the heavens praise God since they declare His glory. I can't see God, but I'm thankful that I can see His glory -- since it emanates from Him -- in His creation. So if I look at the heavens -- or the universe -- I can see the beauty that illustrates all that He is, which is what it means for the heavens to praise Him or for the heavens to declare His glory. In regards to verse 5, I've already talked about the power of God's voice towards His creation, so there's really no need to repeat myself. I don't have a lot to say about verse 6, but what I get out of the "he hath made a decree which shall not pass" is that God's creation -- in the context of verse 5 -- does not go beyond what He commands. I can't relate to verse 7, but I still wanna talk about it. "Dragons" can be translated as "sea monsters." I'd say that the sea monsters praise Him by doing the purpose He created them for. I guess one of their purposes would be defending small fish that are dealing with enemies so God's will can be done in the animal kingdom. I haven't thought too much about God's purposes for sea monsters, so I might explore them at a later time. What I get out verses 7-13 is that His creation was made to praise Him and also that praise isn't just something He gets from man. I'm not exactly sure mountaains and tress and stuff praise Him (v. 9) expect for fullfilling the purpose He created them for. Same goes for verse 10. However, since people are able to praise Him (vv. 11-12) in words and actions, they don't praise Him just by fulfilling His purpose for them. I believe that is one of the ways in which they praise Him, though. What I mean by that is that one of the ways a person praises God is by fulfilling His plan for their life. Not each individual animal has a plan set out by God for its life, so animals are different in that aspect. I believe that every cow has the same purpose and so does every shark just for the sake of using an example. I've already expressed how His creation (vv. 7-12) praises Him (v. 13) and I think the contrast that I noticed is kinda neat. I don't have much to say about verse 14, but here's Henry's insight on it: "May the Lord pardon us, and teach our hearts to love him more and praise him better."

                                                   Source used:

Henry, Matthew. "Concise Commentary on Psalms 148". "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible". <http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=148>.